1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of medical technology, and pertains in particular to delivery of oxygen and/or other gasses or compounds to tissue wounds by diffusion.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
It is by the time of the present application well-known in the art that therapeutic agents may be delivered as gaseous matter to the site of a tissue wound to aid in certain aspects of recovery. Such agents may include for example, antibiotic agents to avoid infection, and delivery of oxygen to speed the healing process. A number of patents have been issued to various inventors that collectively teach local generation of oxygen, for example, at a wound site through bandage systems using chemical reactions, oxygen saturated solutions, or electrochemical generators. Several such patents are listed in an Information Disclosure Statement filed with this patent application.
Supplying Oxygen and other therapeutic agents to a wound site on a continuous and ambulatory basis is therefore known to be of benefit to speed healing and reduce infection. There are still unmet needs in such systems, such as even area distribution of the therapeutic agents to the affected tissue. Thus, more efficient and easier-to-use systems are desirable.